Touching the Billionaire - Holly Jaymes Page 0,1

She might have been fantastic with Rich, but I wasn’t him. And considering that I was certain she was a has-been actress, I wasn’t sure we’d have the necessary chemistry.

There were some films in which chemistry between the leads was crucial in carrying off the film. Take It Or Leave It was a cross between Oceans Eleven, Monuments Men, and The Thomas Crown Affair. Sophistication and sex appeal were as big characters as the actual people. Maddie Fox? I couldn’t picture her as sexy or sophisticated. Hell, I couldn’t picture her as being grown up.

“Because we’re hoping that you will go into this with an open mind,” Jon said.

“And not be an asshole,” Corrine added.

“I’m never an asshole.”

She pursed her lips while Jon coughed. Okay, so sometimes I was an asshole, but I had everything riding on this movie. If I had to be a jerk, so be it.

“I’ll try to not be an asshole, but Jesus, this role is part Jessica Rabbit and part Veronica Lake-”

“Jessica Rabbit is modeled after Veronica Lake,” Jon pointed out.

“I thought it was Vikki Dougan, you know, the lady who wore the backless dresses down to her butt crack,” Corrine mused. Then she shook her head. “Nevermind, Jessica Rabbit is a cartoon.”

I pointed to her. “So is Maddie Fox. She’s a kid star who made a couple of fun kid movies. What has she done in the last fifteen years or so?”

“She was a good kid actress. Plus, it’s in her DNA. Her dad is doing good work in the West End of London and her mom won a Golden Globe this year.” Jon reached over and grabbed a donut too. He was constantly on some sort of gimmick diet. I guessed his current one wasn’t gluten-free or sugar-free.

I rolled my eyes. “Do you want to fuck her?” Okay, that was an asshole thing to say. Fortunately, they both just glared at me.

“If I liked women, I would,” Corrine finally said.

“Me too,” Jon added, licking sugar off his fingers. “You know, if you watched the screen test-”

I held a hand up. “Listen, I hired you because I trust you-”

“Then why are we here?” Jon asked rhetorically. “She was the best.”

“She may have been good with Rich, but her and me? There’s no guarantee.”

“Trust me, you’ll want to fuck her,” Corrine said. “But for God’s sake, don’t. Not if you want this movie to be judged on the merits of the work. We don’t need another one of your fuck-‘em-and-leave-‘em leading lady scandals.”

I winced. “That was a long time ago.” The problem was, reputations stuck like glue. Never mind that I’d been behaving like a gentleman for some time now, the gossip rags and even fans still thought I was a man-whore. Then again, I didn’t do a whole lot to change their minds. I needed to stay in the public eye to stay relevant, so I did go out a lot to places where there were beautiful and willing women. But I went home alone now.

“The chemistry won’t be a problem,” Jon said. “There isn’t a woman alive that doesn’t want you, and you’re a professional actor…so even if you don't feel it…act.”

The sound of the elevator opening and closing made me look out the door toward the hallway. A red-headed woman in a black leather pencil skirt and a white blouse buttoned low across a very attractive bust headed toward us. I straightened as my dick took notice.

“Really, Theo, get your shit together and use those manners I’m sure your mother taught you,” Corrine said, rising from her chair.

“I’ve got manners,” I said absently as I watched the woman, wondering who she was and why she was here.

“Now is a good time to start using them. Jesus, you’re practically drooling,” Corrine said.

“Who is she?” I nodded toward the woman, whose eyes finally caught mine and if I wasn’t mistaken, was giving me the same assessment I was giving her.

“That’s Madeline Fox,” Jon said.

My head whipped to him. “What?”

Corrine smirked. “Told you that you’d want to fuck her. So, are we good now?”

She was right. This was definitely a woman I’d break my self-imposed celibacy for. But this wasn’t about my dick. I couldn’t let that organ set me down a path of financial ruin and embarrassment.

Maddie Fox looked the part, no doubt, but could she act? “We still do the test,” I said.

Next to me, I was sure Corrine and Jon were making some kind of annoyed faces. I didn’t know because I